Improvement in barrels



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.D

JOHN HARRIS, OF KILBURN, LONDON, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARRELS.

Specification forming part ot' Letters Patent No. 44,864, dated November l, 1864.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HARRIS, of Kilburn, in the city of London, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gasks, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan or top view of a cask coilstructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the saine. Fig. 3 is a similar section ot' the same, taken in a plane at right angles to the plane of section ol the previous ligure.

Similar letters ot reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to truss or strengthen the heads ot' beer and other casks so that said heads are able to withstand the heaviest pressure from the inside and outside to which they may he exposed, without leakage.

The invention consists in the application to a Cask-head of an arched truss in such a inanner that the heads (which generally are the weakest parts of a cask) are etectually sti engthened against inwaid and outward pressure, and the""loss of any portion or" the contents ofthe cash occasioned by the heads giving way is ohviated.

Casks or barrels intended to contain beer or other similar eftervescent liquids are exposed trom the inside to the pressure of the gas which is evolved from the liquid, and this pressure frequently becomes very great on the interior of the eask, and the weakest part ot' the cashwhich is the center ot' the flatstaves forming the heads of the casks-gives way,oc casioning loss. To obviate this dit'ticult-y I apply two trusses, B B, one on the inside and one'on the outside of each head C O of the cask D. These trusses may be made in the shape of an arched bar, B, applied on the in= side, and a fla-t plate, B, to the outside, and fastened together by a central screw-bolt, a. The ends ot' the arched truss B bear against pins I). Where the cask is ot a large size or very great strength is required two such trusses may be used to each head, placed across the staves a short distance on each side of the center, or in many cases only one ot the double trusses B with one bolt through the center will be suicient.

By using two trusses-one on the inside and one on the outside-bolted together through the head ot1 the cask, the staves of the latter cannot bend without at the same time bending both trusses, but besides the thickness and consequent stiffness conferred by the combination of these three pieces, the inside truss cannot from its form bend without its length being increased, but this increase in length will be resisted and prevented by the bolts and also by the pins or screws at the extremity ot` the truss, so that the direction of the force will be entirely changed. The giving way ot' thc head and consequent loss otthe contents of the cask is thus prevented, without materially increasing the weight or 'decreasing the capacity ot' said cask.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentrlhe arched truss B, applied in combination with the head of a easl: or barrel, in the inauner and for the purpose substantially as set forth.

JOHN HARRIS.u ll'itnesses JAMES INGLEs, CHARLES LEGGE. 

